How has God communicated with His creation?

Lesson 2:

I. God’s initial communication with mankind is found within the Old Testament of the Bible. · In the beginning God spoke to the patriarchs. o A patriarch is one who is head of the family. God spoke directly to the patriarchs in order to communicate. o God spoke and gave commandments directly to Adam.Genesis 2:16-17 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”Genesis 3:8-98 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” o God established His commandments by directly speaking to Noah.Genesis 9:8-98 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: 9 “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, o God spoke directly to Abram to establish His commandments.Genesis 17:1-21 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. 2 And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” · Later, God chose to communicate with the children of Israel by speaking to Moses and the prophets. They then wrote and told the people all that God had commanded of them. o God spoke directly to Moses and inspired prophets to deliver His law and communicate with His people. o The 10 commandments were given directly to Moses by God.Deuteronomy 5:5, 22 5 I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the LORD; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain. He said: (…) 22 “These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. o Again God spoke to Moses directly in regards to His commandments of the old law.Deuteronomy 1:3 3 Now it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him as commandments to them, o It was through Moses that God communicated his commandments regarding offerings and sacrifices.Leviticus 4:1-31 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the LORD in anything which ought not to be done, and does any of them, 3 if the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer to the LORD for his sin which he has sinned a young bull without blemish as a sin offering.Leviticus 8:4-54 So Moses did as the LORD commanded him. And the congregation was gathered together at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 5 And Moses said to the congregation, “This is what the LORD commanded to be done.” o God told His people through Moses He would also speak to them through prophets.Numbers 12:66 Then He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you,I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. o God gave His commandments through prophets such as Jeremiah.Jeremiah 1:55“ Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” o God gave commandments and communicated to His people through Jeremiah.Jeremiah 17:55 Thus says the LORD: “ Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD.Jeremiah 31:3131 “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- II. God has communicated to us today through the words of Christ. · The New Testament is the commandments that were given to the writers in the name of Jesus Christ.John 16:13-14 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.2 Peter 1:20-21 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. o Today, God no longer speaks to us directly, but has given us His commandments through His son Jesus Christ.Hebrews 1:1-2 1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; III. Since God has now communicated to us through His son, what then is the relationship between the Old and New Testament? · The Old Testament could not ultimately bring forth salvation because there was no remission of sins.Hebrews 8:77 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.Hebrew 9:16 16 For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.Hebrew 10:4 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. · Remission of sins is only possible through the blood of Christ who was the perfect sacrifice.Colossians 1:1414 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. · Christ came to fulfill the Old Law and establish the New Testament.Matthew 5:1717 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. o The New Testament did not become a part of the Old Law; however, it is the new law established by Christ. Luke 5:3636 Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.Matthew 28:18-2018 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. · Therefore, the law given in the Old Testament is old and obsolete because we are now under the New Testament of Christ.Hebrews 8:1313In that He says,“A newcovenant,”He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.Romans 10:4 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.Galatians 2:21 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.” · Now that we are under the New Testament, we have been set free from the commands of the Old Law and are now under Christ. o Example: We are no longer bound to honor certain feast days, festivals, or the sabbath. Also, we are no longer commanded to abstain from certain foods.Colossians 2:16-1716 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.1 Timothy 4:1-51 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; 5 for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.Colossians 2:20-2320 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— 21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,”22 which all concern things which perish with the using--according to the commandments and doctrines of men?23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. o Example: Within the Old Law God communicated through Moses the necessity of tithing; however, today we are to give an offering.Numbers 18:2626 “Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them: ‘When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the LORD, a tenth of the tithe.Deuteronomy 14:2222 “You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. o Today, under the New Testament given by Christ, we are no longer commanded to tithe or pay dues, but rather to give a cheerful offering on the first day of the week. Unlike tithing, an offering is not given out of necessity. 1 Corinthians 16:22 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.2 Corinthians 9:77 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. · God has now communicated to us His plan for our salvation through Christ and the New Testament.Hebrews 5:9 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, · What then was the purpose of the Old Testament and what purpose does it serve now? o The Old Law was used as a tutor to bring the Jews to the knowledge of their sin and the necessity of Christ. Galatians 3:1919What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.Romans 3:20 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.Galatians 3:23-25 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. o Today, we are to learn from the examples within the Old Testament of those who interacted with God and how He responded.Romans 15:4 4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.1 Corinthians 10:11 11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. IV. God has communicated and given us the path of salvation only through His Son Jesus Christ and His words.Galatians 1:6-86 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.

a.) humbly came to Him seeking His mercyb.) hid themselves from Himc.) prayed to Himd.) pleaded with God explaining how they actually did not sin against Him

3. The Lord walked with Adam and Eve in the garden, _________________. (Genesis 3:8-9) *

a.) but delivered His commandments to them through prophetsb.) and wrote His commandments on tablets to give to themc.) yet did not communicate with them at alld.) and spoke directly to Adam

4. God communicated with Noah and Abram (later to be called Abraham) by _________________. (Genesis 9:8-9; Genesis 17:1-2) *

a.) sending them a letterb.) writing His commandments on stonec.) speaking directly to themd.) sending them prophets who came and declared God’s word to them

5. Moses _________________. (Deuteronomy 5:5,22) *

a.) stood between the LORD and the children of Israel to declare to them the word of the LORDb.) was the only person that God communicated with in giving His law to the children of Israelc.) was given the Ten Commandments by someone who found them in a caved.) and God communicated on only one occasion, and that was when God gave Him the Ten Commandments

6. (True OR False) Jeremiah was not ordained by God as a prophet before nations. (Jeremiah 1:5) *

7. (True OR False) The children of Israel were to offer young bull sacrifices for their unintentional sins. (Leviticus 4:1-3) *

8. (True OR False) God told the children of Israel that if there were a prophet among them that He would speak to him in a dream. (Numbers 12:6) *

9. (True OR False) Moses declared to the people that which God had told him and commanded of them all. (Deuteronomy 1:3) *

10. (True OR False) The book of Jeremiah is not really the word of God. (Jeremiah 17:5) *

11. (True OR False) The children of Israel could still be obedient to God if they decided to disobey what Moses spoke to them. (Leviticus 8:4-5) *

12. (True OR False) The Holy Spirit moved and guided the writers of the New Testament into all truth. (John 16:13-14) *

13. (True OR False) The Holy Spirit was going to declare the words of Christ, but the Spirit would speak on His own authority. (John 16:13-14) *

14. (True OR False) Today, God has communicated to us through the words of His Son, Jesus Christ. These words make up the New Testament. (Hebrews 1:1-2; John 16:13-14; 2 Peter 1:20-21) *

15. (True OR False) We are still commanded to tithe and are required to pay our dues to the church. (Hebrews 8:13; Romans 10:4; 1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:7) *

16. The blood of bulls and goats could not take away (________________________). (Hebrews 10:4) *

17. Forgiveness of sins is possible through the blood of (________________________). (Colossians 1:14) *

18. Christ is the end of the (________________________). (Romans 10:4) *

19. If the Old Testament were still binding today, then Christ would have died in (________________________). (Galatians 2:21) *

20. Christ is the (________________________) of eternal salvation to all who (________________________) Him. (Hebrews 5:9) *

Please separate answers with commas.

21. Today, commands that require the abstaining from meats or other foods are commandments and doctrines of (______________). (Colossians 2:20-23) *

22. God told Jeremiah that He would make a (_________) (_________). Today, the old covenant is (__________). (Jeremiah 31:31; Hebrews 8:13) *

Please separate answers with commas.

23. The Old Law was a (________________) until faith had come through (________________). Now that faith has come we are no longer under a (________________). Therefore, we are no longer to keep feasts, new moons, or the (________________). (Galatians 3:23-25; Colossians 2:16-17) *

Please separate answers with commas.

24. Although we are no longer under the old law, we are to still (_____________) from the examples of those things that were written before. (Romans 15:4) *

25. Anyone who preaches a gospel other than the gospel of Christ will be (____________________). Some will try to (__________________) the gospel of Christ, but what they preach is a different gospel and it is not from God. (Galatians 1:6-8) *

Please separate answers with commas.

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Questionnaire 1:

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